Dems Debate At Soldier Field

August 08, 2007|By FROM NEWS SERVICES

Sen. Barack Obama struck back at his Democratic opponents who questioned his positioning in the war on terror in a spirited debate Tuesday night, assailing those who "engineered the biggest foreign policy disaster of our time."

The exchange at a debate sponsored by the AFL-CIO at Soldier Field included three senators seeking the presidency -- Obama of Illinois and Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut -- clashing over Iraq and Al Qaeda. Dodd questioned Obama's recent comments that he would send the military into Pakistan to pursue Al Qaeda if the Pakistani government failed to act on its own, a question Clinton echoed.

"I think it is a very big mistake to telegraph that," Clinton said, adding: "You can think big, but remember you shouldn't always say everything you think if you're running for president, because it has consequences across the world. And we don't need that right now."

The exchange capped a debate in which the Democratic presidential hopefuls forcefully appealed for the support of organized labor, pledging to pare back trade deals, increase America's competitiveness with China and invest more money in the nation's aging infrastructure.

But as the candidates stood outdoors, enduring the loud cheers and occasional jeers from thousands seated in the stadium, the leading contenders engaged in a vigorous tangle over their plans to fight terrorism and fight the influence of special interests in Washington.

"You will never see a picture of me on the front of Fortune magazine, saying I am the candidate that big business is betting on," said John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, taking a shot at Clinton, who was featured on Fortune's cover in July.

Asked to respond, she paused for a moment and smiled, saying, "I'm just taking it all in."

The event unfolded differently than earlier debates this season, with the candidates striding onto the field and waving to the crowd.